Marvel Legacy Won’t Feature One Major X-Men Character

With the launch of Marvel Legacy, fans are certainly excited for the returns of Jean Grey, Wolverine, and many others, but one prominent X-Men character will remain dead: Cyclops. That decision is a curious one given the character’s history in the comics, but that doesn’t mean Marvel will be left without Scott Summers on its roster

Marvel Legacy has been touted by Marvel executives and writers as a push to embrace the company’s roots by returning to iconic characters who have been replaced over the past few years by newer, younger heroes. Marvel Legacy is giving Steve Rogers his shield back, making Deadpool a villain again, and bringing back Adam Warlock. The relaunch will also have a profound effect on the X-Men by resurrecting classic characters such as Wolverine, Jean Grey, and Professor X.

Despite the high number of dead characters making a return for Marvel Legacy, the longtime leader of the X-Men, Cyclops, won’t be joining them. At New York Comic Con 2017, Marvel editor-in-chief Axel Alonso answered a fan’s question by confirming that there are currently no plans to bring back the adult version of Cyclops.

Cyclops was tragically killed off during the Death of X miniseries last year. He was killed by a mutant disease called M-Pox. Cyclops’s death set off a war between the Inhumans and the X-Men after Emma Frost framed Black Bolt for Scott Summers’ death.

Marvel’s portrayal of Cyclops over the past several years has been a point of criticism from some fans. The character’s aggressive approach in securing mutant rights has led him to participating in a number of morally questionable acts, bringing him into constant conflict with his fellow X-Men, particularly Beast and Wolverine. To some fans, Cyclops reached the point-of-no-return when he murdered Professor X while possessed by the Phoenix Force during Avengers vs. X-Men. The character’s death seemed to be the only thing that could end his downward spiral.

For those who prefer a more heroic version of Cyclops, fans will have to look to the character’s teenage counterpart who is currently serving as a member of the Champions. The time-displaced Cyclops has been an important character in the X-Men Universe since he was introduced in All-New X-Men in 2012.

It’s likely that leaving Cyclops dead serves a narrative purpose going forward. Fans can bet that Cyclops’ death will not go unnoticed by Jean Grey when the character returns in Phoenix: Resurrection. It’s unclear how the news of his death will affect her.